Poo Power: Used Diapers Will Fuel U.K. Recycling Plant

get causes updates

Did you know that by the time the average child is potty trained and can make the joyous switch from diapers to underwear, he or she will have undergone anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 diaper changes? For many families, this means that thousands of disposable sacks of (ahem) organic material are simply wrapped and sent to the landfill where they begin a long and smelly existence underground.

According to industry data from Franklin Associates and the American Petroleum Institute, 3.5 billion gallons of oil as well as 250,000 trees are used to produce the 18 billion throwaway diapers used in the US each year. Wood is pulped (using an enormous amount of water) and then commonly bleached white with chlorine, a process that produces dioxin, one of the most toxic substances ever made by humans.

Once in the landfill, diaper waste has the potential to pollute local groundwater and the diaper itself has little chance of ever decomposing. When your baby’s great, great, great, great grandchildren come into the world, those diapers will still be lying in the landfill (EcoCycle).

We’ve found creative uses for animal fecal matter, like recycled paper or valuable fertilizer for lawns and gardens, so why can’t we find a more productive way to keep all this organic waste from spending an eternity underground?

Two U.K. businesses, Versus Energy and Knowaste, just may have come up with a solution to that very stinky problem.

These companies are teaming up to create Britain’s very first disposable diaper plant which will get 100 percent of its power from the organic materials in disposable diapers. But, according to CleanTechnica, only 2 percent of a used disposable diaper is comprised of organic waste, so what happens to the other 98 percent?

It will be “dried, sterilized, and separated into reusable paper pulp and plastic. The end use of those materials has not yet been announced but based on Knowaste’s past experience, roof tiles, shoe insoles, wallpaper, plastic ‘wood,’ and industrial thickeners are likely candidates.”

When you think about this new recycling idea in light of the sheer volume of diapers used in most countries every year, the amount of waste that could be diverted from the landfill and used for a productive purpose becomes encouraging and inspiring. If the companies’ plans for making a profit with this concept hold true, we could see similar diaper recycling facilities popping up all over the world.

have you shared this story yet?

some of the best people we know are doing it

share story:

35 comments

Whilst I agree with Erica K that cloth is best the point regarding collecting the soiled nappies isn't quite correct. EU law requires that member countries (such as the UK) recycle a considerable amount of our waste, the levy imposed by the EU on landfill means that many of us cannot do otherwise (our local property tax, which is already pretty high, would go through the roof). Thus, in many areas we already sort our waste at home; in my area we sort our waste in to landfill (in practice very little), composting (garden waste, dead flowers etc) and that for other forms of recycling, glass, old clothes + shoes, plastic, paper etc. Getting parents to bag nappies and put them into one of the bins would not be that much of a step forward. Additionally our waste is collected every other week, if you don't sort it your bin would be overfull and would not be emptied at all. Pretty much the same applies at our municipal dump. Overall in my area we recycle 53% of our domestic waste. I'm not too sure where Erica lives in the UK but I can assure her that recycling is coming her way, unless of course her local government can afford the huge levies that we be visitied up on if it doesn't!

Not convinced. Are we forgetting that disposables use up tonnes of non-renewable resources. Has anyone considered the logistics and cost implication of collecting nappies segregated out from household waste? It might work for hospitals and care homes but is madness on a individual household basis. All these positive comments are coming from people that want to use hassle-free disposables without feeling bad about the environmental consequences. Take responsibility and use cloth!

meet our writers

Beth is a freelance writer and editor living in the Rocky Mountain West. So far, Beth has lived in or near three major U.S. mountain ranges, and is passionate about protecting the important ecosystems they represent. Follow Beth on Twitter as @ecosphericblog or check out her blog. less